JP5979179B2 - Polarized light irradiation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a polarized light irradiation apparatus that performs optical alignment processing by irradiating polarized light, and more particularly to a polarized light irradiation apparatus having a shutter mechanism that can switch between allowing and preventing irradiation of polarized light to a workpiece.

In recent years, a technique called photo-alignment has been adopted in which alignment is performed by irradiating polarized light of a predetermined wavelength with respect to alignment processing of alignment films for liquid crystal display elements such as liquid crystal panels and alignment layers for viewing angle compensation films. Has been. An irradiation apparatus used for photo-alignment irradiates light having a wavelength in the ultraviolet region.
As an irradiation apparatus that irradiates light having a wavelength in the ultraviolet region, for example, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus that performs an ink curing and drying treatment. These techniques include a shutter mechanism that prevents light from being emitted from the light emission port of the light irradiation unit when it is not necessary to irradiate the workpiece with light (when the workpiece is not being processed). Here, a shutter member (shutter plate) that constitutes a shutter mechanism is disposed between a light source unit composed of a lamp or a reflection mirror and a light emission port of the light irradiation unit, and the shutter plate opens and closes the light emission port. In this way, it is moved between the retracted position and the light shielding position.

International Publication No. 2012/128351 Japanese Patent No. 5467523

However, in the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the shutter plate is disposed in the housing of the light irradiation unit, the shutter plate is not only in the light shielding position but also in the retracted position. In some cases, the structure easily receives light from the light source unit or stray light reflected in the light irradiation unit. That is, while the lamp is lit, the shutter plate is always in a state of being irradiated with light, and is likely to become high temperature.
Irradiation devices used for photo-alignment have become larger with the increase in size of liquid crystal panels, and a relatively large shutter plate is required when the shutter mechanism as described above is provided in the light-irradiation part of the photo-alignment irradiation device. . Therefore, in order to reduce the weight of the shutter mechanism, it is necessary to make the shutter plate as thin as possible. However, if the shutter plate is made thinner, deformation due to heat tends to occur. Therefore, in order to prevent this, the shutter plate requires a cooling mechanism such as water cooling in some cases. As a result, the structure of the shutter mechanism becomes complicated and large.

In addition, when a shutter plate is disposed between the light source unit and the light emission port, when the shutter plate is moved between the retracted position and the light shielding position by the shutter moving mechanism, fine dust generated from the shutter moving mechanism is removed. It falls to the light exit.
The irradiation device used for photo-alignment includes a light source and a grid polarization element, and irradiates polarized light obtained by passing light from the light source through the grid polarization element. Since the grid polarization element is installed at the light exit of the light irradiator, when the shutter mechanism is provided in the light irradiator of the light alignment irradiation device, minute dust generated from the shutter moving mechanism is grid-polarized. It adheres on the element and the polarization performance deteriorates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a polarized light irradiation apparatus having a shutter mechanism and capable of realizing suppression of temperature rise of a shutter member and prevention of deterioration of polarization performance.

In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of a polarized light irradiation apparatus according to the present invention is a polarized light irradiation apparatus that performs alignment by irradiating polarized light to an alignment film, and the light from the light source is emitted by a polarizer. A light irradiating unit for polarizing and irradiating polarized light from a light exit; and a light exit side of the light exit of the light irradiator for blocking the polarized light exiting from the light exit wherein comprising a blocking position for blocking the irradiation of the alignment layer, and a shutter member movable between a retracted position for allowing the irradiation retracted from the blocking position to the alignment film of the polarizing light, the The light irradiating unit includes an outer wall that covers the light source and forms the light exit port, and the retracted position is configured such that the outer wall blocks irradiation of the polarized light to the shutter member, and the polarized light is applied to the shutter member. Is a position where is not irradiated.
As described above, since the shutter member is not irradiated with light from the light irradiation unit in the retracted position, the temperature of the shutter member can be prevented from increasing, and the shutter member can be prevented from being deformed by heat. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a shutter member cooling mechanism or the like, and the shutter mechanism can be downsized.

Furthermore, since the shutter member is disposed on the light exit side of the light exit of the light irradiation unit, that is, below the polarizer such as the grid polarization element, dust adheres to the polarizer when the shutter member is moved. Can be prevented. Therefore, polarization performance can be ensured.
Moreover, withdrawal in avoid position, the outer wall of the light irradiation unit has a structure for blocking irradiation of polarized light to the shutter member, there is no need to install a separate light blocking member or the like in order to block the irradiation of polarized light, its The number of parts can be reduced.

In the polarized light irradiation apparatus, the shutter member may include a reflecting member that reflects the polarized light on a light incident surface side on which the polarized light is incident at the blocking position.
Thereby, when the shutter member is in the blocking position, it is possible to reflect the light emitted from the light irradiation unit, and to suppress the temperature rise of the shutter member.
Further, in the polarized light irradiation apparatus, an air layer may be formed between the light incident surface of the shutter member and the reflecting member.
Thereby, when the shutter member is in the blocking position, even if the temperature of the reflecting member is increased by the light irradiated from the light irradiation unit, the heat can be hardly transmitted to the shutter member.

Further, in the polarized light irradiation apparatus, the shutter member is disposed toward the light source side end portion in a direction orthogonal to the polarized light emission direction at the retracted position as it goes toward the polarized light emission direction. You may provide the inclination part which inclines inside.
Thereby, it can be set as the structure where the light from a light irradiation part is not irradiated to a shutter member in a retracted position, shortening the moving distance of the interruption | blocking position and shutter position of a shutter member as much as possible.
Furthermore, in the polarized light irradiation apparatus, the light source may be a linear light source, and the shutter member may move in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the linear light source.
Thereby, the moving distance between the blocking position and the retracted position of the shutter member can be shortened, and the size of the shutter mechanism can be reduced.

In the polarized light irradiation apparatus, the light source is a linear light source, and the shutter member is configured by a long plate member extending along a longitudinal direction of the linear light source. You may provide a bending part in the edge part of the direction orthogonal to.
Thereby, since the rigidity of the shutter member can be increased, even if the shutter member is formed of a thin plate, it is possible to prevent bending due to its own weight.

  In the polarized light irradiation apparatus of the present invention, the temperature rise of the shutter member can be prevented without providing a cooling mechanism or the like separately. In addition, since the shutter member is disposed on the light emitting side of the light emitting port of the light irradiation unit, it is possible to prevent dust from falling on the polarizer installed at the light emitting port when the shutter member is moved. it can. Therefore, the shutter mechanism can be provided without increasing the size of the apparatus or lowering the polarization performance.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the polarized light irradiation apparatus of this embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the longitudinal direction of a light irradiation part. It is a figure which shows a shutter mechanism when a shutter member exists in the interruption | blocking position. It is a figure which shows a shutter mechanism when a shutter member exists in a retracted position. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a shutter mechanism. It is a figure which shows the fixing method of a reflection member.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a polarized light irradiation apparatus of the present embodiment.
The polarized light irradiation device 100 includes a light irradiation unit 10 and a transport unit 20 that transports the workpiece W. Here, the workpiece W is a rectangular substrate on which a photo-alignment film is formed, for example, shaped to the size of a liquid crystal panel. The photo-alignment film has a large area with an increase in the size of the liquid crystal panel.

The polarized light irradiation apparatus 100 linearly moves the workpiece W by the transport unit 20 while irradiating polarized light (polarized light) having a predetermined wavelength from the light irradiation unit 10, and the polarized light is applied to the photo-alignment film of the workpiece W. Irradiation is performed for photo-alignment treatment.
The light irradiation unit 10 includes a lamp 11 that is a linear light source, a mirror 12 that reflects light from the lamp 11, and a polarizer unit 13 that is disposed on the light emission side of the light source unit that includes the lamp 11 and the mirror 12. Prepare. Furthermore, the light irradiation unit 10 includes a lamp house (outer wall) 14. The lamp 11, the mirror 12 and the polarizer unit 13 are accommodated in a lamp house 14.

The light irradiation unit 10 is installed in a state where the longitudinal direction of the lamp 11 is matched with the method (Y direction) orthogonal to the conveyance direction (X direction) of the workpiece W.
The lamp 11 is a long lamp as shown in FIG. 2 which is a sectional view in the longitudinal direction of the light irradiation unit 10, and the light emitting unit has a length corresponding to the width in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the workpiece W. Have The lamp 11 is, for example, a high-pressure mercury lamp or a metal halide lamp obtained by adding another metal to mercury, and irradiates ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 200 nm to 400 nm.

As materials for the photo-alignment film, those that are aligned by light having a wavelength of 254 nm, those that are aligned by light having a wavelength of 313 nm, and materials that are aligned by light having a wavelength of 365 nm are known. It selects suitably according to the wavelength to be performed.
As the light source, a linear light source in which LEDs or LDs that emit ultraviolet light are arranged in a straight line can be used. In that case, the direction in which the LEDs and LDs are arranged corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the lamp.

The mirror 12 reflects the radiated light from the lamp 11 in a predetermined direction. As shown in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the light irradiation unit 10 in FIG. 3, the cross section is elliptical or parabolic. It is a bowl-shaped condensing mirror. The mirror 12 is arranged such that its longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the lamp 11.
The lamp house 14 has a light exit port 14a through which light from the light source section passes on the bottom surface. A polarizer unit 13 having a polarizer for polarizing light passing therethrough is attached to the light exit port 14a.
Although not particularly shown, the polarizer unit 13 is configured by arranging a plurality of polarizers in a frame. The polarizer is a wire grid type polarizing element, and the number of the polarizers is appropriately selected according to the size of the region to be irradiated with polarized light. Moreover, each polarizer is arrange | positioned so that a transmission axis may face the same direction, respectively.

Returning to FIG. 1, the transport unit 20 includes a flat work stage 21 that holds the work W by suction using a method such as vacuum suction, two guides 22 that extend along the moving direction of the work stage 21, and a work stage. The electromagnet 23 which comprises 21 moving mechanisms as an example is provided.
Here, for example, a linear motor stage is employed as the moving mechanism. A linear motor stage floats a moving body (work stage) by air on a flat platen provided with ferromagnetic convex poles in a grid pattern, and applies a magnetic force to the moving body. This is a mechanism for moving the moving body (work stage) by changing the magnetic force between the platen and the convex pole.

The work stage 21 is arranged so that the direction of one side thereof faces the stage moving direction (X direction) and is supported by the guide 22 so as to be able to reciprocate in a state where straightness is compensated.
In this specification, the moving direction of the work stage 21 is the X direction, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction is the Y direction, and the vertical direction is the Z direction. In addition, it is assumed that the workpiece W is rectangular and is held on the workpiece stage 21 in a posture in which one side is oriented in the X direction and the other side is oriented in the Y direction.
The movement path of the work stage 21 is designed to pass directly under the light irradiation unit 10. And the conveyance part 20 is comprised so that the workpiece | work W may be conveyed to the irradiation position of the polarized light by the light irradiation part 10, and the irradiation position may be allowed to pass through. In the process of passing, the photo-alignment film of the workpiece W is photo-aligned.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the polarized light irradiation device 100 includes a shutter mechanism 30 on the light exit side of the light exit port 14 a of the lamp house 14. The shutter mechanism 30 switches between a state in which the light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 10 is allowed to irradiate the workpiece W and a state in which the light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 10 is prevented from irradiating the workpiece W. It is configured to be possible.
The shutter mechanism 30 includes a shutter member 31 and an air cylinder 32 as a shutter moving mechanism that moves the shutter member 31.
The shutter member 31 has a position (blocking position) where the air cylinder 32 blocks light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 10 and blocks the light from being irradiated on the workpiece W, and retreats from the blocking position from the light irradiation unit 10. It can move between a position (retracted position) that allows the irradiated light to be irradiated onto the workpiece W.

Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the shutter mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state where the shutter member 31 is in the blocking position, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where the shutter member 31 is in the retracted position. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the main part of the shutter mechanism 30. In FIG. 5, only one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the shutter member 31 is shown, but the other end portion has the same configuration.

The shutter member 31 is formed of a long flat plate member extending along the lamp longitudinal direction (Y direction), and has a shape in which the upper surface portion is a horizontal plane and both ends in the X direction are bent into a U shape. In addition, the shape of the bent part at both ends in the X direction is not limited to the U shape, and may be an L shape, for example.
The shutter member 31 is formed of a thin plate such as an aluminum plate having a plate thickness of 5 mm or less (for example, about 1.5 mm). The length of the shutter member 31 in the longitudinal direction corresponds to the length of the lamp 11, and the light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 10 is blocked by the horizontal upper surface. That is, the upper surface portion is formed larger than the light irradiation region A of the light irradiation unit 10.

The air cylinder 32 is fixed so as to be located immediately below the bottom wall of the lamp house 14. That is, the air cylinder 32 is in a position where light from the light irradiation unit 10 is not irradiated, regardless of whether the shutter member 31 is in the open state (state in the retracted position) or in the closed state (state in the blocking position). is there.
The air cylinder 32 includes a piston rod 32a extending in the X direction and a fixing member 32b fixed to the tip of the piston rod 32a. The fixing member 32b is screwed to the back surface of the shutter member 31. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a hole 31a is formed outside the light irradiation region A at both longitudinal ends of the shutter member 31, and the fixing member 32b is fixed to the hole 31a by a screw 32c. The

With such a configuration, when a pair of air cylinders 32 disposed at both ends of the shutter member 31 in the Y direction are driven in synchronization by an air cylinder driving unit (not shown), the piston rod 32a of the air cylinder 32 is moved in the X direction. The shutter member 31 slides in the X direction between the retracted position and the blocking position.
Here, the hole 31a is a long hole, and the shutter member 31 and the fixing member 32b are engaged with each other with a degree of freedom in the X direction. Thus, even when the pair of air cylinders 32 do not operate in complete synchronization, the shutter member 31 appropriately slides.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, when the piston rod 32a is contracted, the shutter member 31 is disposed at the blocking position, and as shown in FIG. 4, when the piston rod 32a is extended, the shutter member 31 is placed. Is arranged at the retracted position.
As shown in FIG. 4, the shutter member 31 is located immediately below the bottom wall of the lamp house 14 in the retracted position. When the shutter member 31 is in this retracted position, the light from the light irradiation unit 10 is blocked by the bottom wall of the lamp house 14 and is not irradiated to the shutter member 31.

Further, the shutter member 31 includes inclined portions 31b that are inclined toward the lower inner side at both ends in the X direction. The inclined portion 31b is a portion inclined toward the inner side of the shutter member 31 toward the light source side end in the direction orthogonal to the emission direction of the polarized light at the retracted position as it goes toward the emission direction of the polarized light.
The light irradiation unit 10 reflects the light of the lamp 11 with a bowl-shaped mirror 12 so that a region immediately below the lower end opening of the mirror 12 becomes a polarized light irradiation region. However, the stray light reflected in the light irradiation unit 10 may be reflected at the end of the mirror 12 and emitted from the light exit port 14a outward in the X direction, as indicated by a two-dot chain line L in FIG. In this embodiment, by providing the shutter member 31 with the inclined portion 31b, it is possible to prevent the shutter member 31 from being irradiated with the light L as described above at the retracted position, as shown in FIG.

Further, a reflection member 33 is installed on the upper surface (light incident side surface) side of the shutter member 31. The reflection member 33 is, for example, a high-luminance aluminum plate, and the surface on the light incident side is installed as a reflection surface.
The reflecting member 33 is fixed to the shutter member 31 by screwing. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, a flat washer 34 is inserted between the reflecting member 33 and the shutter member 31, and a gap (air layer) is formed between the reflecting member 33 and the shutter member 31. It is fixed with bolts 33a and nuts 33b.

As described above, the polarized light irradiation apparatus 100 irradiates the work W with light from the light irradiation unit 10 with the shutter member 31 in an open state when the work W is subjected to photo-alignment processing, and the work W is photo-oriented. When the processing is not performed and it is not necessary to irradiate the workpiece W with light, the shutter member 31 is closed so that light is not irradiated from the light irradiation unit 10 to the outside.
Here, the air cylinder 32 constituting the shutter mechanism 30 is configured to slide the shutter member 31 in a direction perpendicular to the lamp longitudinal direction (a direction across the lamp 11). Therefore, it is possible to control light emission and light shielding with a relatively short movement distance. Therefore, the shutter mechanism 30 can be reduced in size.

Incidentally, as described above, the polarized light irradiation device 100 is used for the photo-alignment treatment of a large photo-alignment film formed on a liquid crystal panel or the like. Therefore, the length of the lamp 11 in the longitudinal direction has a length corresponding to the width in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the workpiece W, and the shutter member 31 that blocks the light also has a length corresponding to the lamp 11. There is a need.
Thus, since the shutter member 31 has a relatively large shape, the shutter member 31 is a long flat plate member extending along the lamp longitudinal direction, thereby reducing the weight of the shutter mechanism 30. In addition, both ends of the shutter member 31 in the direction perpendicular to the lamp longitudinal direction are bent at portions outside the light irradiation region A. Thereby, the rigidity of the shutter member 31 can be increased, and the long shutter member 31 corresponding to the length of the lamp 11 can be prevented or suppressed from being bent by its own weight.

  Further, the retracted position of the shutter member 31 is set to a position where the outer wall of the lamp house 14 blocks the light applied to the shutter member 31 from the light source unit. Therefore, the shutter member 31 is heated by being irradiated with the light from the light source unit when the light emitted to the workpiece W side is shielded at the blocking position set directly below the light emitting port 14a, but is retracted. When moving to, light from the light source unit is not irradiated, and the temperature of the shutter member 31 can be lowered by heat dissipation. In this way, heat can be prevented from being accumulated in the shutter member 31, and the shutter member 31 can be prevented from reaching a high temperature.

  Further, the shutter member 31 is slid in the X direction to move between the retracted position and the blocking position, and inclined portions 31b that are inclined inward and downward are provided at both ends of the shutter member 31 in the X direction. Therefore, it is possible to make a structure in which light from the light irradiation unit 10 is not reliably irradiated at the retracted position while shortening the moving distance from the blocking position to the retracted position as much as possible. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the shutter mechanism 30 and to suppress the temperature rise of the shutter member 31.

Further, a reflection member 33 is provided on the light incident side of the shutter member 31, with the light incident side being a reflection surface. Therefore, when the shutter member 31 is in the closed state and light from the light source unit is irradiated, the light can be reflected by the reflecting member 33, and the temperature rise of the shutter member 31 can be prevented.
In addition, since a gap (air layer) is formed between the reflecting member 33 and the shutter member 31, even if the temperature of the reflecting member 33 rises due to light irradiation from the light source unit, the heat is applied to the shutter member 31. Difficult to communicate. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the temperature of the shutter member 31 from increasing.

As described above, since the shutter member 31 has a relatively large shape, it is preferable to make the shutter member 31 as thin as possible and reduce the weight in order to facilitate movement. However, when the plate thickness is thin, there is a problem that it is easily affected by heat and is easily deformed by heat.
In the present embodiment, the retracting position of the shutter member 31 is set to a position where the light from the light irradiation unit 10 is not irradiated, and the heat dissipation effect of the shutter member 31 is enhanced, and the reflecting member 33 is installed on the shutter member 31 to The temperature rise of the shutter member 31 is suppressed. Therefore, even if the shutter member 31 is formed of a thin plate, the shutter member 31 can be prevented from being deformed by heat. Further, since a complicated cooling mechanism such as water cooling is not necessary, the shutter mechanism 30 can be reduced in size.

Further, the shutter mechanism 30 is disposed on the light emission side of the light emission port 14a of the light irradiation unit 10. As described above, since the shutter mechanism 30 is provided below the polarizer unit 13, it is possible to prevent dust from falling on the grid polarizing elements constituting the polarizer unit 13 when the shutter member 31 is moved.
The grid polarizing element is very expensive because a fine processing technique is required for forming the grid, and a lithography technique and an etching technique used in semiconductor manufacturing are used. When dust adheres to such a grid polarizer, the polarization performance is deteriorated, and in some cases, replacement is required.

In the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent dust from being attached due to the operation of the shutter mechanism 30, and thus the polarization performance of the grid polarization element 13 can be ensured.
Further, since the retracted position of the shutter member 31 is set directly below the bottom wall of the lamp house 14, the bottom wall can serve as a cover for the shutter member 31 at the retracted position. Therefore, it is possible to prevent minute dust floating in the apparatus from being deposited on the shutter member 31. As a result, it is possible to prevent dust on the shutter member 31 from falling on the workpiece W when the shutter member 31 is moved, and to ensure the quality of the workpiece W.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, the case where the shutter member 31 is opened when the piston rod 32a of the air cylinder 32 is extended and the shutter member 31 is closed when the piston rod 32a is contracted is described. The shutter member 31 may be closed when the piston rod 32a of the air cylinder 32 is extended, and the shutter member 31 may be opened when the piston rod 32a is contracted.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the lamp house 14 that is the outer wall of the light irradiation unit 10 has a structure that blocks light from the light source unit toward the shutter member 31 at the retracted position has been described. As long as the irradiation of the polarized light to the shutter member 31 is blocked, another structure such as blocking the irradiation of the polarized light by a member other than the outer wall of the light irradiation unit 10 can be applied.
In the above embodiment, the case where a liquid crystal panel on which a photo-alignment film is formed is used as the workpiece W has been described. However, the workpiece W is a long strip-shaped workpiece wound around a roll, such as a viewing angle compensation film. May be.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Light irradiation part, 11 ... Lamp, 12 ... Mirror, 13 ... Polarizer unit, 14 ... Lamp house, 20 ... Conveyance part, 21 ... Work stage, 22 ... Guide, 23 ... Electromagnet, 30 ... Shutter mechanism, 31 ... Shutter member, 31a ... hole, 31b ... inclined portion, 32 ... air cylinder, 32a ... piston rod, 32b ... fixing member, 32c ... screw, 33 ... reflecting member, 33a ... bolt, 33b ... nut, 34 ... flat washer, 100 ... Polarized light irradiation device

Claims (8)

A polarized light irradiation apparatus that performs photo-alignment by irradiating polarized light to an alignment film,
A light irradiator that polarizes light from a light source with a polarizer and irradiates polarized light from a light exit;
A light blocking unit disposed on the light output side of the light output port of the light irradiation unit, blocking the polarized light emitted from the light output port and blocking the irradiation of the polarized light on the alignment film; and A shutter member retractable and movable between a retracted position allowing irradiation of the polarized light to the alignment film, and
The light irradiator includes an outer wall that covers the light source and forms the light exit port,
The polarized light irradiation apparatus, wherein the retracted position is a position where the outer wall blocks irradiation of the polarized light to the shutter member and the polarized light is not irradiated to the shutter member. The polarized light irradiation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the shutter member includes a reflecting member that reflects the polarized light on a light incident surface side on which the polarized light is incident at the blocking position. The polarized light irradiation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein an air layer is formed between the light incident surface of the shutter member and the reflection member. The shutter member includes an inclined portion that inclines toward the inner side of the shutter member toward the emission direction of the polarized light at the light source side end portion in a direction orthogonal to the emission direction of the polarized light at the retracted position. polarized light irradiation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in. The light source is a linear light source,
The shutter member, the polarized light irradiation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that moves in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the linear light source. The light source is a linear light source,
The said shutter member is comprised by the elongate flat plate member extended along the longitudinal direction of the said linear light source, and is provided with a bending part in the edge part of the direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction. The polarized light irradiation apparatus according to any one of to 5 .   A polarized light irradiation apparatus that performs photo-alignment by irradiating polarized light to an alignment film,
  A light irradiator that polarizes light from a light source with a polarizer and irradiates polarized light from a light exit;
  A light blocking unit disposed on the light output side of the light output port of the light irradiation unit, blocking the polarized light emitted from the light output port and blocking the irradiation of the polarized light on the alignment film; and A shutter member retractable and movable between a retracted position allowing irradiation of the polarized light to the alignment film, and
  The retracted position is a position where the polarized light is not irradiated to the shutter member,
  The shutter member includes an inclined portion that inclines toward the inner side of the shutter member toward the emission direction of the polarized light at the light source side end portion in a direction orthogonal to the emission direction of the polarized light at the retracted position. A polarized light irradiation apparatus.   A polarized light irradiation apparatus that performs photo-alignment by irradiating polarized light to an alignment film,
  A light irradiation unit that polarizes light from a linear light source with a polarizer and irradiates polarized light from a light exit; and
  A light blocking unit disposed on the light output side of the light output port of the light irradiation unit, blocking the polarized light emitted from the light output port and blocking the irradiation of the polarized light on the alignment film; and A shutter member retractable and movable between a retracted position allowing irradiation of the polarized light to the alignment film, and
  The retracted position is a position where the polarized light is not irradiated to the shutter member,
  The shutter member is constituted by a long flat plate member extending along the longitudinal direction of the linear light source, and is provided with a bent portion at an end in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. apparatus.

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